This is blog is filled with my experiences, whether they be pre-Japan, post-Japan, or during my study abroad experiences.

Month: April 2017

I’ve been extremely busy with school and making friends that I’ve been forgetting to post anything here. Basically, I’ve been socializing with people from all over the world, getting to know the customs of different countries and also learn a lot more about where I come from and how other people view the United States. Also, all of my classes–except one–are taught entirely in Japanese. One is particularly fun and intriguing, and it’s also my hardest class: 日本事情, or in English: Current Events in Japan Seminar.

So far, there’s only been three weeks of classes, and this is my favorite class. We learn about Japanese culture, customs, and national issues, and then we compare them to those of other countries. To give a bit of perspective, I’m the only American in this class. There are a lot of Chinese students, some French and Korean students, a student from Taiwan, England, and Canada. Being the only American, I often get called on to explain the difference between Japan and America, and I do so in Japanese. There was a funny time when I had to explain that there are no 和式トイレ (washiki) in America. Washiki are the toilets that everyone who comes to Asia freak out about–often described as a hole in the floor–where one is required to squat instead of sit down.

Anyways, I mainly just wanted to post some pictures of what I’ve been up to recently.

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Also I’ve been having such an awesome time that I forgot that I own a fish.

I’ve only been in Japan for less than a week, and I’ve already experienced so many ups and downs of studying abroad. There are so many differences between American culture and Japanese culture that are amazing, but some that are also really scary and hard for me to internalize.

Some of the awesome things that I’ve observed:

Amazing customer service in restaurants

You don’t have to pay tips

Reliable public transportation

Vending machines conveniently located EVERYWHERE!

Friendly natives who are extremely willing to help foreigners

Very cheap food and necessities

However, the negative differences are a bit more complex, so they aren’t things that I can list. Most of these things are hard to explain and just sound like personal insecurities that I should just stop thinking about. I just feel like no matter where I go, it will be hard for me to feel like I fit in. In America, I’m considered very different because of my skin color. I don’t feel like I could ever blend in apart from my personality. In Japan, I’m recognized by the same thing, but it’s a bit better since it’s obvious that I’m a foreigner. However, in the Philippines, I look the part, but I don’t speak the language. I actually had an experience in the Tokyo-Narita airport where some Filipinas asked me if I was as well, but they did this in Tagalog. When I said that I am, but I can’t speak the language, I could feel the air shift to a more negative atmosphere, and I felt that they were judging me for not knowing.

I’m also having a hard time coping with the beauty standards of Japan. Just like the Philippines, it is considered beautiful to have fair skin and to be very thin. I’ve never really felt like I’ve ever fit the beauty standards of any country that I’ve been to, since I’m dark-skinned and not extremely thin. No matter how many people tell me that they think I’m beautiful, it’s just impossible for me to feel like I am. This is one of the things that I need to work on, so I’ve decided to be as active as I possibly can while I’m in Japan.

Other than that, I’ve been utilizing a lot of coping mechanisms to deal with depression overseas. It’s a bit easier to do since I’m a new place with beautiful scenery, which is one thing that really helps me relax. I have a lot more that I could talk about, but I think I want to keep this relatively short.